Thousand Pillar Temple Warangal

Thousand Pillar Temple- Warangal is 150 kms away from Hyderabad. The temple was Built in the year 1163 by the king King Rudra Deva .Then after this temple was renovated and Beautified the Kakatiya kings .

It was built by King Rudra Deva in the year 1163 A.D. Warangal is flooded with splendid temples, historical monuments and huge forts. This region has been beautified by the Kakatiya rulers. The Thousand Pillar Temple reflects the glory of the Chalukya kings.

The Thousand Pillar Temple is constructed, on the Hanumakonda hill, on a 1 meter high platform. You may see many small shrines dedicated to Lord Shiva in the temple garden

The major attraction of the temple is the thousand pillars in black stone. All the pillars have exquisite geometric designs carved out on them. A life size cut-out of Nandi -the bull on a granite stone is also very impressive. There also is rock cut elephants on both sides of the main shrine.

Unlike pillars in other temples of India, pillars of the main temple, are tightly tied and form its walls and so don’t seem like there are 600 of them. The temple is star shaped with three shrines devoted to Rudradeva (Shiva), Vishnu, and Surya (Sun). amusingly, the third deity is not Brahma who is part of the Trinity of God [as in the Trinity (which consists of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva) in Suchindrum] because the Kakatiyas worshipped Lord Shiva and Lord Surya and not so much Brahma. On the fourth side is Shiva’s vehicle, Nandi or Bull.Unlike most temples in India that face east, 1000 pillar temple faces south. Because, the Kakatiyas,who were the worshipers of Lord Shiva, wanted early morning sun rays to be drop directly on Shiva Lingam. So, of the three shrines, Shiva’s shrine faces east and other shrines faces south and west. On the fourth side is Nandi. Adding to the uniqueness, the Nandi in 1000 pillar temple looks east, unlike most Nandis in Indian temple